Innovations

2019

¡VAMOS! An External View Of The Underwater Mining Research Project

Damen Dredging Equipment, The Netherlands

After nearly five years of research, development and field trials, the international EU-funded ¡VAMOS! (Viable Alternative Mine Operating System) project, in which Damen played a leading role, has come to an end. In this article Jenny Rainbird, from leading design, engineering and risk management consultancy BMT, who was responsible for overseeing and coordinating the project, gives her view of the process, challenges and outcomes. Read more about it

What Damen Innovations is all about?

An entertaining peek at innovation at Damen, how it has contributed to our growth in the past and how we apply it in order to shape the future.

DAMEN’s New Online Strategy. The Aim: Digital Service Provision

Damen Shipyard Group, The Netherlands

Damen has committed to a new online strategy. Sander van Oord (Area Director, Americas) who has overall responsibility for its implementation, and Björn Smets (Digital Marketing Manager), tell what is going to change and, in particular, why. "At present we send a sales person to a client and they have a conversation, which is followed up, and hopefully business arises from it. This is a process that we would like to digitise more and more." Read more about it

The Outcomes And The Future Of The ¡VAMOS! Project

Damen Dredging Equipment, The Netherlands

Yesterday, 14 of February, marked the last day, after four years of designing, producing, assembling and testing, of the ¡VAMOS! (Viable Alternative Mine Operating System, and also Spanish for ‘let’s go!’) project that brought together 16 organisations from nine EU countries. It has been a long road, but the project team has managed it very well.Now that ¡VAMOS! is reaching the end of the funded period term, it is time for an internal evaluation of the proposed objectives and to prepare for the future. The project might be over, but the collaboration will continue. Read more about it

Smart Sensor Mapping Breaks New Ground In Maritime Remote Monitoring

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

From a ship owner’s point of view, the benefits of remote monitoring can be divided into two main areas: increasing efficiency and increasing income. Improving efficiency includes matters such as fuel consumption, crew scheduling and navigation. Increasing income can be thought of in terms of increasing mobilisation. In this way remote monitoring can go a long way to maximise uptime. Taking a tug boat as an example, if an owner can utilise remote monitoring data to carry out just one extra job per day, income will significantly increase. Read more about it

Damen Supports Shipathon Collaborative Computing Events

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Following its recent participation in the collaborative computing ‘Hackathon’ event, Damen has once again both supported and been represented at a similar competition, Shipathon, and one of the winning teams included a Damen employee. It took place over the 9th and 10th of November and stands out for being the only competition of this type that focuses solely on the maritime sector, with the objective of encouraging innovation in smarter sea-going vessels using teams competing in a high-pressure yet friendly environment. Read more about it

Innovative spirit – The EU’s contribution to Damen’s RD&I, Part III

Damen Shipyard Group, The Netherlands

In this third article about Damen’s input into European research programmes, two truly forward thinking projects are described. After concentrating on energy efficiency and innovative materials in the first two articles , this final chapter looks at the most recent (still ongoing) research programmes involving sustainable mining, and ‘value-added’ ships. No doubt about it – these EU-funded and facilitated projects are stimulating a collaborative atmosphere within the European maritime industry. Read part 3 of a new 3-part story

Damen’s innovative RSD Tug 2513 nominated for KNVTS Ship of the Year Award

Damen Shipyard Group, The Netherlands

Damen’s radical new ‘always bow first’ RSD Tug 2513 has reached the final stage of this year’s prestigious Maritime Award KNVTS Ship of the Year prize. As one of the last three entrants in contention for the award, the Damen RSD Tug 2513 will be judged on a range of criteria including its design, safety, economy, durability and construction process, and the winner will be announced at the Gala Dinner taking place on 12th November. Read more about it

Field demonstration of ¡VAMOS! technology is a success at Silvermines, Ireland

Damen Dredging Equipment, The Netherlands

On the 24th of October the ¡VAMOS! partners together with Advisory Board members and interested external parties – such as geologists and researchers from companies and institutions, local people etc - were present at the ¡VAMOS! technology Demonstration Day, at the Magcobar flooded mine pit, in Silvermines, Ireland. In total 85 visitors participated in the field demonstration to raise awareness of the innovative technology with stakeholders and local communities. Read more about it

Innovative spirit – The EU’s contribution to Damen’s RD&I, Part II

Damen Shipyard Group, The Netherlands

Cooperation is getting more and more important in the shipbuilding industry. These two EU-funded research projects – with 36 and 41 participants respectively – are proof of that. This second article in a three-part series looks at Damen’s involvement in the drive to build cleaner and longer-lasting ships using advanced materials and green technologies. Read part 2 of a new 3-part story

Innovative spirit – The EU’s contribution to Damen’s RD&I, Part I

Damen Shipyard Group, The Netherlands

What do Ultra-Low Emissions, Advanced Material Solutions, Optimised ship design & Sustainable mining have in common?They are all future-proof ideas at the heart of Damen’s RD&I activities in EU-funded research. Read part 1 of a new 3-part story

Virtual and augmented reality in shipbuilding

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, The Netherlands

Looking back at some of Damen’s activities over the last few years, it is clear that technological innovation is one of the major driving forces shaping the company’s future. Notable recent examples include 3D printing, self-righting lifeboats, electric dredge pumps and Hardware-in-the-Loop simulations. Two rapidly emerging technologies that can be added to this list are Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Björn Mes, Damen’s Technical Specialist VR/AR, is investigating the potential of VR and AR in the shipbuilding and conversion arena. Read more about Virtual Reality.

Hardware in the loop – advanced simulation technology

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

Damen is utilising advanced simulation techniques to digitally optimise the ship development and design process. The technology is called Hardware in the Loop (HIL), and the company is using it as a tool to improve system integration and controls design before construction even begins.

CFD - Virtual Towing Tank project

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

Damen is now two years into a three-year project investigating Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools and the contribution they can make to accelerating the ship design process, while at the same time cutting the associated costs and improving the quality of products in the group’s portfolio.

A new adventure - Damen enters the Cruise Market

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

“Look at this,” says Andrea Trevisan passionately. “It’s beautiful.” He’s indicating the latest artist’s impressions of Damen’s Expedition Cruise Vessel. Images that demonstrate the ship’s literal go-anywhere capability. Some showing the vessel in the type of crystal clear tropical waters that cannot help but make you long for warmer climes. Others, in contrast, show the same ship ploughing dramatically through ice to a backdrop of rocks and polar bears.

Achieving the WOW factor

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

This year sees the introduction of a new range of fishing vessels, based on a Vripack Naval Architects design that will set new benchmarks for the entire sector. The range comprises three designs of gross tonnage: 340GT, 400GT and 500GT. “They all have the same look and can be fitted out with diesel-electric, or conventional diesel depending on what the client wants,” Mr Moerkerk explains. The range of vessels could also be outfitted with electric winches (instead of the more traditional hydraulically powered).

Evolution in action - Fast Crew Supplier 2710

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

Damen’s renowned Twin Axe is back! And this time it’s bigger than ever. When Damen unleashed the Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2610 back in 2011, it took the offshore wind industry by storm. In next to no time, the 2610 was to be found plying its trade to countless North Sea wind farms. It’s no exaggeration to say that this overnight success story became the new industry benchmark.

Reversed stern drive tug 2513 - The ultimate ship-handling tool

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

The key to the development of the RSD Tug was to come up with an answer for the challenges our customers were faced with; flexibility, efficient operations, high power in compact vessels, and this all in a safer way than ever before. This required open minds, discussions with the industry, from suppliers, through research institutes to customers and actual users. The result is a true innovation, featuring future-proof characteristics that run throughout the design, build and operation of the vessel.A logical enough call to action from a company that has demonstrated its R&D and innovation credentials time and again, Morpheus nonetheless represented a whole new approach. It distinguished itself from the status quo with a fresh, distinctive appearance. It was as if Morpheus was itself the sort of start-ups it hoped to inspire. In this vein, the project reached out to the whole of Damen.

World’s first class approved 3D printed ship’s propeller unveiled

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

Following a rigorous testing process, verified by Bureau Veritas, the world’s first class approved 3D printed ship’s propeller, the WAAMpeller, has been unveiled at Damen Shipyard Group’s headquarters in the Netherlands. This ground-breaking success is the result of a close collaboration between RAMLAB, Promarin, Autodesk, Bureau Veritas and Damen.

Project Morpheus - Building the dream

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

In 2017, the Damen Shipyards Group launched an ideation challenge as a catalyst for innovation. Project Morpheus – named for the Ancient Greek God of Dreams – exploded into inboxes and onto office walls group-wide with a dramatic and emotive appeal to latent creativity.

Damen Digital set to launch

Damen Shipyards Gorinchem, The Netherlands

As the drive for more and more digitalisation in all aspects of modern day life continues, manufacturers and indeed shipbuilders, are using this technology to offer their customers even greater efficiencies.Damen itself is developing a unique platform – Damen Digital – which will bring all of its in-house digital initiatives under one roof. The launch of Damen Digital means that the many innovations and developments can be brought together, enabling the company to take a more cohesive approach to digitalisation, which in turn leads to product improvements and cost savings for customers.